Top 10 Most Powerful Frigates in The World

INTRODUCTION

Frigates are an indispensable part of any navy. These ships usually form the numerical bulk of a naval fleet as they are relatively cheaper than large destroyers and cruisers. Every modern navy operates frigates in some or the other form and uses them along with larger surface combatants like destroyers and aircraft carriers. The definition of a modern frigate by Defencyclopedia is

A modern frigate is a 3000-7000 ton warship, equipped with an array of missiles, guns and radars, and is designed to operate autonomously, along with a battle group or act as an escort for non-combatants, in order to fulfill a variety of tasks depending on the mission.

A warship displacing 5000-7000 tons need not always be called as a frigate, as many navies prefer the designation of a ‘destroyer’ for such warships. The designations vary from one navy to another, but the role of the ships does not change. Some countries call their larger surface combatants as frigates for political reasons and some others call their smaller surface combatants as frigates. A modern frigate can displace anywhere between 3000-7000 tons. But for the sake of this article, only frigates displacing 4000-7000 tons will be considered.

This article will deal specifically with the frigates designed and built in the 21st century. Each ship has been carefully analyzed to ensure a neutral ranking. The weapons and sensors on board the ship and their ability to handle multiple targets is given importance. Since each frigate has its own set of strengths and their roles vary greatly and a frigate should not be considered to be better just because it is ranked slightly higher. The top 10 frigates will be listed along with their strengths and weaknesses.

Special thanks to Naval Analyses for the beautiful and intricately detailed infographics which will help you to get a clear idea of the systems on board the frigates. The remaining few have been created by Defencyclopedia. I am pretty sure that many of the ships on this list are relatively unknown. So sit back and enjoy reading the article.

10. Type-54A [China]

This is a new class of frigates for the Chinese Navy which is being built in large numbers. It is a cost effective 4000 ton multi-role frigate that is designed for escort as well as independent operations. It is outfitted mainly with Russian electronics and weapons, some of which have been substituted with Chinese copies. Although it packs a punch, it lags behind other contemporary frigates mainly in the radar department. Because it is the cheapest modern frigate in production, China is building dozens of them and 24 ships of this class have been built until now with more under construction.

Strength: Anti-Air Warfare

Propulsion: It has a Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) propulsion with 4 Shaanxi diesel engines, each rated at 5700 kW, thus producing a total of 22,800 kW

2 x Type-730 Close in Weapons System (CIWS) with dedicated search, track and fire control radar. This is being replaced by the 11 barreled Type 1030 CIWS in the newer ships.

2 x 6 ASW rocket launchers for short range rockets

2 triple 324 mm lightweight torpedo tubes

Firing a C-803 Anti-Ship Missile

Firing a HQ-16 Surface to Air Missile

Close up of the bow showing the 32 VLS cells for HQ-16 and the 76 mm gun

Cons:

It uses the relatively older Fregat-ME radar for surface and air search as its primary sensor.

There is no secondary long range radar for volume search.

It has 4 older generation mechanically scanning fire control radars for the SAM, limiting the number of aerial targets engaged simultaneously to 4.

First 18 frigates of the class lack the important variable depth sonar (VDS).

9. Shivalik class [India]

The Shivalik class is one of the newest frigates of the Indian Navy and has the distinction of being the first class of stealth warships to be designed and built indigenously. It is a very capable platform and excels in all aspects of naval warfare. These 6200 ton ships are classified as frigates and not destroyers due to their relatively light armament with respect to the space available.

Strength: Anti-Submarine Warfare

Propulsion:

Combined Diesel or Gas (CODAG) propulsion. Using only diesel engines for low speed cruise and using only gas turbines for high speed cruise.

2 x Pielstick diesel engines, each producing 11,300 kW for a total of 22,600 kW for low speed cruise at up to 22 knots.

2 x LM 2500+ gas turbines, each producing 25,100 kW for a total of 50,200 kW for high speed cruise at 32+ knots (59+ km/hr)

Sensors:

It uses the E-band Fregat-ME 3D radar as its primary radar for surface and air search

The secondary radar is the Elta EL/M-2238 STAR operating in the S-band. It is a multi-role radar with a range of 350+ km.

2 Elta EL/M 2221 fire control radars are used for Barak-1 SAM guidance

It uses an outdated single-arm launcher for its primary Shtil-1 Surface to Air Missiles. It takes 6 seconds for the missile to reload and the firing arc is limited to the front of the ship. All other ships in this list have vertical launch systems for their primary SAM.

Older generation primary radar with mechanically scanning illuminators limit the number of aerial targets engaged simultaneously to 6 (4 can be targeted)

8. Fridtjof Nansen class [Norway]

This is one of the least heard of and discussed frigates in the world, even though it has a very advanced weapons and sensor suite. Ordered by the Royal Norweign Navy to replace it’s ageing Oslo class frigates and serve in the anti-submarine role, the 5300 ton Nansen class frigates now form the core of the Norweign Navy and have ended up as very capable multi-role platforms.

Strength: Anti-Submarine Warfare

Propulsion: It has a Combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion with two diesel engines producing 9MW for low speed cruise and one LM2500+ 21.5 MW gas turbine for high speed cruise. A total of 30.5 MW is generated during CODAG running.

Sensors:

It features the American SPY-1F multi-function PESA radar with 4 faces using AEGIS combat system as it’s primary radar.

Comparatively small SAM loadout of 16 missiles for a large 6900 ton ship

127 mm gun firing during trials

NH-90 helicopter lands on Carlo Margottini

Click on the image for a higher resolution infographicClick on the image for a higher resolution infographic

You can read more about these ships in a detailed article by Naval Analyses here

6. Aquitaine class [France]

The Aquitaine class is among the most balanced frigates in the world and are capable of carrying out any type of mission ranging from anti-air warfare to land attack against targets 1000+ km away. These hi-tech ships will be the backbone of the French Navy and 11 ships will be built by 2020. The first 9 ships will be full multi-mission variants and the last 2 will be dedicated for anti-air warfare by sacrificing land attack capability. They are a part of the same FREMM program as the Carlo Bergamini class. These ships feature extreme automation levels and have a crew requirement of just around 120.

Strength: Land Attack

Propulsion:

These ships have an advanced hybrid electric-propulsion which is of the CODLOG type (Combined Diesel-Electric or Gas turbine)

It has 1 × 32 MW LM2500+ gas turbine for normal operations.

For quiet anti-submarine operations, 2 × 2.5 MW electric motors are used to run the ship.

Sensors:

The primary radar is the Thales Herakles passive phased array radar which operates in the S-band and has a range of 250 km. It is a multi-fuction radar which can track surface and aerial targets and provide fire control for the Aster SAMs.

There is only 1 main multi-function radar and no secondary search radar. All other ships in this list have at least 2 major radars.

Firing MU90 torpedo

Firing Scalp cruise missile

Herakles radar

Click on the image for a higher resolution infographic

You can read more about these ships in a detailed article by Naval Analyses here

5. Álvaro de Bazán-class [Spain]

This ship has the distinction of being the most heavily armed anti-air warfare frigate in the world. The 5 frigates of this class were built to serve as a modern escort for the Spanish fleet. The AEGIS combat system and the SPY-1D radar were chosen to facilitate interoperability with the AEGIS equipped US Navy destroyers. These 6300 ton frigates were chosen as the base design for the Australian Navy’s Hobart class destroyer.

It’s primary sensor is the 4 faced SPY-1D PESA radar with the AEGIS combat system. This gives it a world class air defense system which can detect targets at 300+ km. This radar can track hundreds of targets simultaneously. The SPY-1D also provides guidance for the surface to air missiles till the illuminators take over.

2 × Raytheon SPG-62 radar illuminator to provide terminal guidance to the surface to air missiles.

1 x SPS-67 surface search radar

It has a bow-mounted Raytheon DE1160 LF active and passive sonar for submarine detection

Armament:

1 x 127 mm Mk45 main gun for use against surface and land targets

For anti-air warfare, it has the Mk 41 Vertical Launch system with 48 cells for a combination of 32 SM-2MR Block IIIA (100+ km range) and 64 ESSM (50 km range, 4 missiles per cell) surface to air missiles.

4. Iver Huitfeldt-class [Denmark]

This ship class has the distinction of being the cheapest among the most advanced frigates in the world. This is due to the fact that they used the already existing hull of the Absalon class support ships to make a frigate, thereby reducing design costs significantly and maintaining commonality. These 6600 ton frigates look a bit bulky and clumsy when compared to other frigates, but they pack a lethal combination of weapons and sensors. Since they share most of their missiles and radars with the next frigates in this list, i will explain them in detail here and just mention them for the other 2.

Strength: Anti-Air Warfare

Propulsion: It is powered by 4 MTU diesel engines which generate 8.2 MW each for a total of 32.8 MW of power.

Sensors:

The main sensor is the 4-faced APAR (Advanced Phased Array Radar). This multi-function AESA radar works in the X-band and provides target detection, tracking and engagement in 360°. It has a major advantage over the SPY-1 search and SPG-62 illumination radar combination used in the Alvaro de Bazan class as the APAR can detect the incoming targets as well as provide guidance for 32 SAMs simultaneously including terminal illumination for 16 of them. Such a capability is invaluable while handling saturation missile attacks and allows the use of the SM-2 and ESSM surface to air missiles to their fullest potential.

The Thales SMART-L radar provides long range aerial surveillance and the ability to detect and track ballistic missiles at distances of 400+ km. This AESA radar operating in the L-band is capable of tracking 1500 targets simultaneously and provides early warning.

There are 2 Saab CEROS 200 fire control radars to provide fire control for the 76 mm and 35 mm guns on board.

Diesel-only propulsion system when compared to the cutting edge CODOG/CODELAG systems on board the other top frigates.

No towed array sonar

3. De Zeven Provincien class [Netherlands]

The 4 air-defence frigates of this class are among the most advanced ships in their category. These 6000 ton ships possess advanced radars and missiles and is slated for a major radar upgrade which will give it unparalleled surveillance capability. This frigate class is noted for it’s anti-ballistic missile capability which was demonstrated in NATO exercises. It’s radars are said to be fully capable of detecting and tracking ballistic missiles at distances of 500+ km and target engagement will be done by US Navy ships using this information as these frigates don’t possess the SM-3 missile yet.

Strength: Anti-Air Warfare

Propulsion: It has a Combined Diesel and Gas turbine (CODAG) propulsion. The 2 x Wärtsilä diesel engines generate 4.2 MW each and the 2 × Rolls Royce Spey turbines generate 18.5 MW each, for a total of 45.4 MW

Sensors:

The main sensor is the 4-faced APAR (Advanced Phased Array Radar). This multi-function AESA radar works in the X-band and provides target detection, tracking and engagement in 360°. It will be upgraded with an increased range version.

The Thales SMART-L radar provides long range aerial surveillance and the ability to detect and track ballistic missiles at distances of 400+ km. This AESA radar operating in the L-band is capable of tracking 1500 targets simultaneously and provides early warning. A newer version with the capability to detect and track ballistic missiles 2000+ km away will be installed in the future.

2. Sachsen class [Germany]

Developed as a replacement for the Lütjens class destroyer, the Saschen is an advanced anti-air frigate built for theDeutsche Marine (German Navy). It’s sensor suite and armament are largely similar to that of the Iver Huitfeldt and De Zven Provincien class frigates. The Sachsen however has a small advantage owing to its dual helicopter hangars, compared to the single hangar on the other two. 3 ships of this class serve at present and plans for a 4th ship were shelved. Keeping future upgrades in mind, these 5800 ton ships have been designed to accommodate 270 tons of extra weight.

Strength: Anti-Air Warfare

Propulsion: They have a Combined Diesel and Gas turbine (CODAG) propulsion system with 1 x LM2500 gas turbine generating 23,500 kW and 2 x MTU diesel engines generating 7.5 MW each. A total of 38.5 MW of power is available for high speed cruises.

Sensors:

The main sensor is the 4-faced APAR (Advanced Phased Array Radar). This multi-function AESA radar works in the X-band and provides target detection, tracking and engagement in 360°.

The Thales SMART-L radar provides long range aerial surveillance and the ability to detect and track ballistic missiles at distances of 400+ km. This AESA radar operating in the L-band is capable of tracking 1500 targets simultaneously and provides early warning.

1 x Atlas bow-mounted sonar for detecting submarines

Armament:

It has 32 Mk41 VLS cells to carry a mix of 24 SM-2 Blk IIIA + 32 ESSM Surface To Air Missiles. This variant of the SM-2 has a 150+ km range and serves the role as an area defence SAM. The 50 km range ESSM provides medium range air defence.

It has 2 x RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) launchers with 21 missiles each. A total of 42 missiles of 10 km range form the third layer of air defence for this frigate.

2 x quad launchers for 8 Harpoon anti-ship missiles

1 x 76 mm Oto Melara dual purpose gun

2 x triple launchers for MU90 lightweight torpedoes

2 x Rheinmetall 27 mm guns in remote weapons station

Cons: Absence of a towed array sonar limits it’s ASW capabilities.

F219 Sachsen test fires an SM-2 Block IIIA SAM

You can read more about these ships in a detailed article by Naval Analyses here

1. Admiral Gorshkov class [Russia]

The Admiral Gorshkov class of guided missile frigates, which incorporate the best weapons and sensors that the Russian industry can produce, is set to be the mainstay of the future Russian fleet. It has an excellent balance of weapons and sensors and is the perfect example for a multi-role frigate. Many ships in this list either lack a secondary radar, land-attack capability or a proper CIWS. But this ship right here, has everything that is needed for a modern surface combatant and displacing around 5000 tons when fully loaded. Russia has planned to build 15 ships for its fleet and as of now, 3 ships are under construction and 1 is finished.

This ship has an excellent balance of weapons and sensors and is the perfect example for a modern ‘Multi-Role Frigate’

Strength: Anti-Air warfare, Anti-Submarine and Surface Warfare

Propulsion: It features a combined diesel and gas turbine (COGAG) propulsion with 2 diesel engines generating 3.9MW each and2 M90FR gas turbines producing 20.5 MWeach, for a total of 49 MW of power.

Sensors:

Furke volume search radar

Poliment multi-function radar ( 2 faces seen)

It has a 4 face Poliment 5P-20K multi-function S-band AESA radar which can search and track aerial and surface targets as well as provide guidance to the SAMs.

This is complemented by a Furke-4 volume search radar which is uniquely mounted on top of the main radar itself. This prevents interference and allows both radars to have unobstructed search capability.

Monolit 34K1 radar is used for Anti-Ship missile guidance and surface search

Puma fire control radar for the 130 mm gun and 2 illuminators for the Palash CIWS

Submarine detection capability is provided by the Zarya M bow mounted and Vinyekta towed array sonars along with the embarked Ka-27 ASW helicopter

Long-range air defense is provided by 32 Redut VLS cells, which can carry 32 9M96E series SAMs of 40-120 km range

2 Palash CIWS with twin 30 mm Gatling guns each. It has an integrated electro-optic fire control system and 8 short range SAMs.

2 pedestal mounted 14.5 mm heavy machine guns

It has 2x 4 330mm torpedo tubes for the unique Paket-NK torpedoes which can engage enemy submarines as well as torpedoes, thus serving a dual role.

Cons: It has no significant drawbacks

CONCLUSION

Since this article has laid emphasis on weapons, sensors and multi-role capabilities of the frigates, the chart topper will be the best multi-role frigate. It is also important to keep in mind that some ships ranked slightly lower may excel in only one area as they have been designed that way from the outset. Every navy may not require a multi-role frigate as their areas of operation and threats faced are totally different. Most European navies lay a heavy emphasis on anti-air warfare as they perceive Russian cruise missiles as a major threat. Asian navies tend to place more emphasis on surface warfare with full multi-role capability. I hope this list has given you a good idea about the 10 most advanced frigates in service today.

There are many more advanced frigates which are going to enter service in the next 5-10 years. Some of the exciting frigate projects like the British Type 26 and the Indian P-17A are going to set new standards in capabilities and performance. China is rumoured to be working on a Type 54B frigate with better features. Frigates will continue to remain as a backbone for most navies worldwide.

148 Replies to “Top 10 Most Powerful Frigates in The World”

Most of these ships do have the capability to operate for extended periods at the high sea’s, yet their combat suit is designed with battle group operations in mind. Full filling a specific role depending on their combat configuration and capabilities. This applies at least for all EU navies.
This way you get a battle group that has the best ship at the best location while not having to worry about combat redundancy, given the fact that supplies and land based support is usually right within the scope of their operations. Obviously this does not always apply when they operating in very small groups or operating single. I have seen some comments earlier from people who asked the question why does it seem that some of these ships are underarmed or underestimated.

And i would like to point to N.R.P his reply and say that what he said is spot on yet its only a small part of the story.
While the USA has a massive navy, None of their currently deployed frigate/destroyer/LC-Ships are considered state of the art, yet across the board they are far more heavily armed then most EU navies. Now let me clarify that, i am not saying that US (or NONE EU) frigates/destroyers/LC-Ships are inferior to EU counterparts, but the golden rule navy wise is that if you need all-round heavy guns and shock and awe then call 0800 USNAVY yet if you want a specialist on the job then call 0800 EUNAVY.
Ships build in the EU are build with EU/NATO cooperation in mind so they are usually equipped to do a few tasks really well and focus their capability around a specific skill set. Which ultimately produce a far cheaper vessel yet with state of the art capabilities only rivaled by other EU ships.

Due to their unique design and configuration/extremely high level of automation the EU ships generally look kinda weak on paper, yet one of these ships operating within the battle group sharing their radars and data and firepower will put most navies in the world to absolute shame that includes some of the US battle groups who time after time bring 10x more firepower bring to bare yet have not won a single training NATO/EU Navy exercise in 15 years.

So while some of these ships look flimsy on paper their technology and overall data processing capabilities in combination of other systems they bring to the field makes these ships far more deadly then their configuration would suggest.
On top of that most of these EU ships have a specific configuration yet based upon the situation on hand they can change the whole configuration and weapons, since the ships are modular and have room for added combat capabilities and can be turned into true destroyer.
Yet while in peace time and operating in low / middle violence spectrum regions most EU navies run their ships in bare basic’s mode.
Anyway in a nutshell these ships have far more to offer then their technical specs would suggest.

The final analysis is the Arleigh Burke is a destroyer and would probably be easily able to overcome any two frigates on on this list. It is a 9,800 ton vessel that is so tightly packed with capabilities that there is no room for anything else. Not to mention that no vessel on this list is capable of firing a SM-6 or SM-3 missile. Frigates cannot either pack the punch nor sustain the damage an Arleigh Burke can.

No one is disputing the power of a destroyer over a frigate. Each, however, performs a distinct function. An Arleigh Burke is primarily for anti-surface and anti-ship missions, though the class also has a strong anti-air punch and does have ASW capability. Yet, using an Arleigh Burke to protect against submarines or to escort convoys or patrol coastlines would be a waste of a valuable resource.

In fact, an upgraded Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate (such as the modified ones used by Turkey) would still cost one-third the price of a Burke. Potentially having three times as many frigates as destroyers would go a long way in alleviating the mission problems. But, any navy attempting to replace the awesome capabilities of destroyers with these frigates is asking for a disaster.

As far as the U.S. Navy is concerned, our continued retirement or sale of our frigates without replacement, save for those crummy LCS ships that look to be sitting ducks in enemy waters, is only weakening us, at a time when we may see more naval action around the Korean peninsula. May I remind you that North Korea has a sizable diesel sub fleet that is actually quieter than nukes.

If you need to shoot 16 anti-ship missiles, and you’re alone, you’re screwed anyway.
Anti air missiles on the other hand might be useful for shooting at drones, helicopters, seagulls and other evil things. Seeing a bunch of recon drones needing shootin’ is not a death sentence. Seeing a CVBG on the other hand IS.

That totally depend if the target is hardened (Hard or Soft target) the distance and it totally depend on what type of target, is it a house? a tank? a SAM? or just a bunch of rebels hiding under a rock.
In most cases the naval gun has a approx range of anywhere between 30 and 75km and has the ability to bombard most targets with pretty much pin point accuracy on top of that most vessels carry different type of ammo for these guns to be able to take on a wide range of targets.
And for real targets like a hard and protected targets a combination of naval fire and missiles will get the job done. These guns might look small but their shells are pretty nasty.

Not a viable option. Aside from the fact that Britain has committed to the Global Combat Ship due out by 2021, the Type 23’s, like the Oliver Hazard Perry frigates and the A69’s at not upgradeable. New ships, like the GCS, will be modular, allowing for upgrades to guns, engines and sensors to be made simply by removing the old systems and sliding in new systems that can handle existing wiring and fits. Current ships have to be radically altered (like having huge holes cut through the deck to remove engines) or radically changed (like replacing entire operating systems and wiring for radar and fire control.

The US as a navy is the best equipped navy on the world size wise. It might not be the best per hardware platform, since there are some other ships out there that beat them in their own game but that aside.
With the amount of ships the US has it can control nearly every arena yet they lack “shallow” water assets and a Littoral Combat Ship can fill this role pretty good and close a big gap. And brings a pretty neat amount of capability close to shore. As for frigates they obviously are so handy in their own right however they are far more expensive much bigger profile and lack the close to shore capabilities a LCS can bring. Sometimes you want to bring finesse and not a sledge hammer.
On top of that enemy Asymmetric and anti-access capabilities can if networked be a real pain for frigates. Something a LCS can do much better since is made for to penetrate Asymmetric and anti-access capabilities and deal with them. Just a idea.

Those are good points but the Littoral Combat Ships still require one of two things — control of those littoral waters they are designed for or a lot of ships to prevent them from being overwhelmed by an enemy.

As stated by their design plans, the LCS vessels will be armed with a 57-mm multi-purpose gun, as well as RIM CIWS missiles. They will have no ASW capability although, in the surface warfare model, they will carry Hellfire missiles, which can take out small attack craft and even inland weapons is a drone is employed for targeting.

The knock is that an enemy with its own drones or a cheap Vietnam War-era diesel submarine or some long-range artillery (like what North Korea would use to level Seoul), could saturate a littoral zone and the regular surface Navy would have to come in and defend the LCS vessels.

That said, the Navy still needs a frigate and there are many admirals pushing for it. Unfortunately, the people in the Congressional Budget Office are keen on the LCS. The Navy can’t pull destroyers off their primary missions for escort or ASW duties and, clearly, the LCS is not going to take on those duties.

Both ships would serve vital needs in the U.S. Navy, but the powers that be continue to pick one at the expense of the other.

They did… But we have to remember a few important things here.
One the European Frigates are really in capability and size, small to medium destroyers, and have gotten their names for political reasons.
That being said, they are not in the same class as the big destroyers, so there is that.

What amazes me, in regards to the US Navy, is that they gave up on the frigates, and hasn’t even got a decent corvette… These “smaller” units have a great use in todays navies, and should in theory be what we will see more of in the coming decades.

No, Africa’s naval shipbuilding has primarily limited to South Africa, but SA has failed to build anything more than patrol vessels and survey ships due to a lack of followup orders and the necessary infrastructure investment (such as drumsticks and machinery to handle larger weapons systems. Neighboring countries have found it easier to buy ships from France, Russia or India.

Interestingly although not filled to the gunnels with weapon systems the type 23 paired with a Merlin mark 2 is probably one of the most effective ASW platform on the planet. Since the primary role of frigates is ASW work shouldn’t this put it on the list.